Two Ohio state representatives introduced legislation April 27 proposing a moratorium on future academic distress commissions, and a Lorain City Schools board member supports it.

State Reps. Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo, and Kent Smith, D-Euclid, are looking to block the state from taking over additional school districts and privatizing local school boards, which they called a “heavy-handed approach” that has failed to produce meaningful improvements, according to a news release.

The proposed moratorium follows controversial state takeovers of Youngstown City Schools and Lorain City Schools, the release said.

“Ohio needs to invest in our kids and families, not wrestle control away from democratically elected leaders,” Smith said. “Local leaders have known what is best for their kids for a long time. It is state government that needs to change its approach.”

Advertisement

Lorain School Board President Tony Dimacchia responded to the proposal with careful optimism, alluding to a need to do more.

“I think it is about time that legislators are attempting to fight back against this social injustice of a bill ... HB 70,” Dimacchia said. “I commend and support their efforts, but I am disappointed that it does nothing for Lorain and Youngstown.

“The children in these two communities are just as important and someone needs to step up and fix the enormous mess the state has created here.”

Under the proposed moratorium, state report grades given prior or under the moratorium would not ultimately affect a school’s chance for state takeover and school board privatization in the future.

The ban on state takeovers or academic distress commissions would last through 2021, the release said.

“The takeovers in Youngstown and Lorain have had atrocious results, but there are models out there that work,” Fedor said. “This moratorium will give us time to find the ways that will actually improve schools for our students and communities.”

Following the passage of an amended version of House Bill 70, the structure of academic distress commissions was altered to fast track a state takeover of local school districts when they receive three consecutive failing state report card grades.

Under the new law, schools are put under a state run academic distress commission instead of a publicly elected board and have a CEO installed to run the school. The state appointed David Hardy Jr. as CEO of Lorain Schools.

Fedor and Smith argue their proposed ban would give lawmakers more time to find a solution instead of restricting more districts in a failing model for public education.